It took 5 tries but I finally got on Cross Country Checkup
I finally got on Cross Country checkup today after 5 tries. The topic was "Where do you think this election is going", but turned into "Don't vote NDP or Harper wil get a majority".
It started with "Linda" from Vancouver, who has voted NDP before, but has voted Liberal for quite some time now. There were other submissions from other "Lindas" from across Canada, whom all said basically the same thing. I also counted two identifible Tories, and 3 other New Dems.
The guests inluded among others, Peter Blakie. Who attacked Jack for using some language that "was pro-separtist during the French Language debate", and Heather McIvor who said voting NDP would elect Tories. When I got on, there was a minute left.
While Rex "I am so much smarter then you why are you even calling in if you don't agree with me Murhpy", was telling me I had a minute left and taking my time, I talked over him. He ALWAYS talks over you if he disagrees with you; its his standard tactic. I pointed out the NDP was a close second to the Tories in 104 ridings, and that it wasn't true voting Lib would stop Harper. I also went after him for his assertion in response to a caller concerned by election financing, that the Unions in the US were the largest contributors to the American electoin campaign. I told him that was't true and that AFSCME, the SEIU and one other union were 8, 9 and 10 out of the top 10 contributors. He then went after me saying that wasn't true, to which I responded it was, and then as he cut me off, he said that is not true but that is another discussion for another day.
If you have the courage to go listen to the Podcast, I will probably sound like a lunatic. I knew that I had no time to make my case, and pushed as hard as I could to get out my point and attack Murphy. I am not proud with my performance, but given a minute at the end of the show, and Murphy making it clear I only had a minute, what could I do? I wished I had sounded better, but that's how it goes. The Podcast will be uploaded probably tomorrow if you want to listen, and you might think I need to go to the nut house after you hear me.
I hate that guy. He is a pompous, manipulative liar. He is slick, slimy, and sneaky.
I knew that was you! The use of the word "meme" gave it away. I was reminded of Rabble.ca when I heard that word repeatedly. As soon as I heard him mention your last name I connected the two.
Thank you for pointing out that the NDP is a real alternative, and the Liberal Party is not necessary to defeat the Conservatives. I thought it was a most appropriate way to end the show and I congratulate you for your coup de grace. Well done!
@incorrect:
Thanks for the kind words. I really thought that I sounded like a lunatic, but given the circumstances, there was no alternative.
And as I said above, I knew Murhphy was going to take some of my time, and that I didn't have much time to make my point.
You sounded like a person who was pressed for time with a message that the moderator was hostile to. Under the circumstances, your urgent delivery was completely understandable.
good for you Arthur!! so proud of you!
sometimes i want to call in on talk radio 1010 in toronto to tell those guys off, they are worst conservative radio jockey ever.
I have to say I knew I was going to have to rush through this. If I stopped I knew Murphy would cut me off; I didn't want to give him the chance. I hope I got the point across to the people who were listening. Especially "Linda" in Vancouver.
Thanks to everyone for their kind words.
Great work.
@gyor:
Thank-you. I am telling you I sounded like a lunatic, but I didn't know any other way to do this considering how Murphy rolls.
@takeitslowly:
"sometimes i want to call in on talk radio 1010 in toronto to tell those guys off, they are worst conservative radio jockey ever"
You can't call into shows like that unless you are going to be able to take the abuse. I know how tough that is. We have a show here in Winnipeg called "The Nighthawk". The host is a Libetarian ex Rock Musician named Jeff Courrier. It is the same way, you can't call into his show either. He isn't interested in listening to anything any leftie has to say. I never bother.
But the CBC, national radio. And that idiot Rex Murphy. I can't help myself. Lol!
Yes, I remember hearing the "104 ridings". Good point! I'd like to see some solid figures on the ratio of union/corporate donations for 2008.
Concerning other callers, I become incensed when someone says that we simply cannot afford the NDP platform, and there is no comeback or request by Murphy to sustantiate it. In my mind, the callers may as well be saying, "We can't afford healthcare, but we sure as shooting CAN afford fighters and jails".
@RickW:
I felt the same way. That is actually what is the biggest problem with Checkup. Murphy never came back to anyone who spouts conservative, right leaning, coporatist memes. He is very much a Corporatist and an establishment man. He believes his own propaganda and expects eveyone else to as well. If you get any kind of a chance to get on the show and he knows where you stand, you better be prepared for a fight. He isn't going to back down from trying to beat you up.
After all, he is a "Rhodes Scholar", just like Russ Jackson. I wonder if Rex can throw on the run like Russ? Lol!
Hetaher Mac is a hack from windsor. Haven't liked her because of her liberal Bias. In windsor she said our best chance(some time ago) was to go with libs for strategic purposes, Umm you know the place you live is an NDP liberal, not liberal conservative. I don't think a conservative of any strip has ever won in Windsor, unless you count the right wing liberals like paul martin Sr.
Good for you arthur. I have never gotten on but I hate rex almost as much as don cherry. Fucking warhawk asshole.
Plus he couldn't get the name of a Radio Canada show right., making a passing reference to "tout le monde en parle" as "parlour mond", near as I could tell. The man is scrupulous enough when he wants to be, and I doubt he would be so careless with an english language program. Perhaps his contempt for all things sovereigntist is bleeding over into his treatment of Quebec culture generally.
I never listen to that show since that hack Murphy started. Congratulations, Arthur, for braving it out!
And acramer, I am sorry I must have just missed you. I had to get to an engagement at the top of the hour and shut the car off at about five to.
Thanks 6079_Smith_W and Unionist and thorin_bane. I appreciate the supportive remarks.
I tell you, I must have sounded like a lunatic, but they purposely left me to the end. I agree with all of you, I hate Murphy, and I am so fed up with the CBC (you all probably know that already, lol).
But if I even got a few people to think, then I guess I managed to acheive something. I still can't believe by the way that Murphy would have the absolute gall to insist that unions were bigger political fund campaign contributors then corporations or the Koch Brothers. He is such a prick!
Cheers!
Murphy gets his hackles up at anything not 100% mainstream. Otherwise you can ramble on about aunt bessie and her 15 geese. And he will say "Isn't that nice, did you name all of them?" Don't worry they will replcae Dinorex with someone more absurd like O Leary. Or Chris(no i'm not really a con, i just sound like it all the time) hall.
Good show Arthur - I wasn't listening but you "did good"!
Thanks 6079_Smith_W and Unionist and thorin_bane. I appreciate the supportive remarks.
I tell you, I must have sounded like a lunatic, but they purposely left me to the end. I agree with all of you, I hate Murphy, and I am so fed up with the CBC (you all probably know that already, lol).
But if I even got a few people to think, then I guess I managed to acheive something. I still can't believe by the way that Murphy would have the absolute gall to insist that unions were bigger political fund campaign contributors then corporations or the Koch Brothers. He is such a prick!
Cheers!
I think you did a great job, Arthur. They squeezed you in at the end yet you did a great job refuting the strategic voting argument, and made very efficient use of your limited time. Bravo!
104 ridings? Not that I'm doubting you but where did you get this number from. I counted 55 based on the last federal election. The principal is still the same though. You hear plenty of Rex callers and others urging startegic votes for Liberals but not much for NDP, although 104 or 55 cases clearly warrant it for a consistant argument.
@catchfire and janfromthebruce:
Thanks very much. I knew Murphy would try to take some of my time, and I knew I'd have to talk over him. Its his old trick, and he uses it all the time. He thinks he is so smart and that he is being subtle and sophisticated when he does it. That's why I pushed so hard from the start. I knew I had no time and that he'd kill the talk switch on me. I don't know whether my comeback to his Koch counter got on the air. I hate to admit it but the only comeback I could think of was to say "you are lying and you know it". I don't think that made it on the air. Lol.
Thanks again everyone. I am really, really glad I didn't sound like a lunatic. I have to be really honest, I was convinced I did.
How can the CBC act like that? I mean we stood up for them for so long. It is such a disheartening thing. If my parents were alive today, I am not sure how surprised they might be.
Murphy's Harper's puppet. But hooboy he's got some slick moves. He was talking about the debates, making the very reasonable suggestion that there should be a seperate debate for each region of the country. he argues that in the French debate the leaders were forced to discuss specific details on policy because it was, essentially a more regional debate. if there was a similar debate for all regions leaders would not be able to hide behind vague slogans and platitudes as they did in the single english language debate.
But here's the rub: he called shame on ALL the leaders for 'allowing' only one debate.
And this is complete bullshit.
All the opposition parties wanted more debates. harper, enjoying a comfortable lead, only wanted one.
This is hardly behaviour unique to the Tories. When youre in the lead how many chances do you want to give the opposition to trip you up.
But Rex is still full of shit.
Also, Arthur, I didnt hear you, but knock it off with the 'I sounded like a lunatic' schtick already. After 4 times you're starting to sound like a neurotic narcissist
@Arthur: we heard you, and we were hooting and hollering in the car all the way through the news. In fact, I just signed up to babble in order to say so. You sounded great, and Rex sounded like a poor sport cutting you off. Years ago I was one of the people who vetted the calls for CCCU at the CBC.... a most eye opening job.... they moved one host along because he was seen as too pro-union (he was the shop steward for the local, I seem to recall, and we were about the enter job action)... I too have had the pleasure of having to argue with Rex on the radio about the truth vs. what he wants to hear. Anyway, @thorin, the idea of O'Leary doing it! Don't say it out loud or it might very well happen! Sort of like Donald Trump running for president... first it's a joke, and next thing you know.... and, no matter who hosts CCCU, it always sounds like propaganda broadcasts to the colonies out here on the coast.
Re strategic voting: the Liberals are running third and forth here on Vancouver Island, so it would be silly for anyone planning an ABC vote to use them. We're hoping for Elizabeth May and the balance NDP. Harper was worried enough to show up here this weekend.
Murphy was also showing his colours by not calling Brad Wall for criticizing the "coalition" because it would be bad for the oil markets. What does policy have to do with whether something is valid democratic procedure? If he had been opposed I am sure Murphy would have also said that was a matter for another show.
And it was highly unprofessional for Murphy to perpetuate (while at the same time admitting that it was perception, not reality) the notion that westerners would feel disenfranchised because they sent conservatives to ottawa and wound up with a bunch of easterners usurping their decision, It is as despicable as it is divisive.
I feel a bit more disenfranchised by the fact that 20 percent of Saskatchewan voters voted NDP and we wound up with zero seats because of our gerrymandered ridings.
Again, it is not that Murphy is a stupid man. He is not. And that makes it all the worse when he decides to switch his integrity on and off as it pleases him.
Is Murphy a Conservative? It sounds like it to me, but I'm not positive.
@howeirdbeale:
Sorry if it comes across like that. I just felt emabrassed, that's all. Very sorry.
@lens solution:
Murphy has run for both the Libs and the Tories. He is a right winger for sure. I think you could describe him as efete, right-wing, corporatist, eleitis, and not be far off. As I said, he was a Rhodes Scholar, just like Russ Jackson; I don't think he could throw on the run like Russ. Lol.
@Ginger Goodwin:
Thanks very much for that; that is very kind. I guess I made my point then at least.
I just posted here to tell people I had got on and to share the experience. It is so close to the election, and I wanted to try and get the truth out about what happens if people vote strategically. The only reason I posted was to share the experience with this great community. I am going to stop responding to posts. Thanks to everyone for their comments. I guess I should stop being so isecure. May 2 is goint to be a great night for all of us.
Cheers everyone!
I thought you did a great job of very succinctly debunking Strategic Voting in this election. Your point was very clear even if you only had a minute in which to make it. Look at it this way, you might have been cut off, but you also had the last word. I also really liked the NDP supporter from Cape Breton whose "health is not the greatest" and who said he admired Jack so much because he's "the man with a cane" who has overcome his health issues with "courage" and provided "hope for the future" and "peace of mind."
CBC is "quaking in it's boots" that if Harper gets his majority, there will be no more national broadcaster. So it's shifting it's centre more to the right, in (a futile) hope of succoring favour with the Harper government (can't call it the Government of Canada, as it doesn't represent the majority of us). It won't work, as Harper loathes all things Canadian.
@ Rick W
And besides.... they don't even call themselves the government of Canada any more.
Arthur, I heard you on Cross Country Check Up & was very greatful that you got some points across, in spite of The Rex Murf.
I was cheering for you!